The shrill feminist denunciations
of male patriarchy share a common origin: the Marxist creed [Read].

In the 1840s, Marx concocted this
bizarre theory: Since working men were oppressed by capitalist economies,
then women were doubly-victimized by the effects of capitalism and
patriarchy.

This is how Karl Marx and Frederick
Engels explained it in their 1848 Communist Manifesto: “What is the
present family based on? On capitalism, the acquisition of private
property...The bourgeois sees in his wife nothing but an instrument
of production.”

In his 1884 book, The Origin of
the Family, Engels elaborated on the theme of patriarchal oppression:

“The overthrow of mother right
was the world historical defeat of the female sex. The man took command
in the home also; the woman was degraded and reduced to servitude;
she became the slave of his lust and a mere instrument for the production
of children.”

These claims are preposterous.

If women were more oppressed than
men, then women’s lifespans would have been shorter. But the reverse
was true -- in the second half of the 1800s, men’s life expectancy
in Russia and Europe was 2-3 years shorter than women’s (www.hsph.harvard.edu/hcpds/wpweb/97_01a.pdf),
partly due to their responsibilities as primary breadwinners.

And Engels’ claim that women had
become a “mere instrument for the production of children” is patently
absurd. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, female fertility
had already begun to fall in Europe in the mid-1800s [Read].

So Engels’ assertion was ridiculous
as it was specious.

And 156 years after publication
of the Communist Manifesto, what is the verdict of history?

The simple fact is, over 100 million
persons have been killed under regimes calling themselves Socialist.
Ironically, almost all of the victims were members of the working
class. Marx did not care about the proletariat, he only cared about
his pipe dream of achieving a socialist utopia.

Likewise, it is questionable whether
Marx really cared about helping women. Always mindful of the fact
that women represented half of the population, he and his minions
schemed to exploit their largely untapped labor.

Chairman Mao said it best: “Many
co-operatives are finding themselves short of labor. It has become
necessary to arouse the great mass of women who did not work in the
fields before to take their place on the labor front.” [Read]

Karl Marx also viewed women as
effective agitators to overthrow capitalism. As he admitted in a 1868
letter, “major social transformations are impossible without ferment
among the women.”

But if there are any lingering
doubts about Karl Marx’s real attitudes towards women, just examine
his personal life.

According to Joshua Muravchik’s
brilliant book, Heaven on Earth, Marx disdained the responsibilities
of a husband and father of three girls. He was inept in managing the
household finances. He never even tried to get a job. Instead, he
lived off of his inheritance and a monthly stipend from Engels.

Nonetheless, Marx did indulge in
the bourgeoisie custom of hiring a household maid. Her name was Helene
Demuth.

Carey Roberts is a writer, consultant, and researcher
who analyzes political correctness. His best-known work was an exposé
of media bias in the New York Times and other major newspapers.

Besides serving as a regular contributor to NewsWithViews.com,
he has published in The Washington Times, LewRockwell.com, among others.
He served on active duty in the Army, was a professor of psychology, and
a citizen-lobbyist in the US Congress.